Go Back

Greek Pasta Salad

Greek pasta salad with penne or rotini tossed in a lemon-oregano dressing, loaded with cucumber, tomato, feta, olives, and red onion. Chilled for at least 2 hours so every bite tastes like a traditional Greek salad with pasta texture.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
chilling 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Greek
Calories: 480
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

pasta
  • 1 lb penne or rotini pasta
vegetables and olives
  • 2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 large cucumber, diced
  • 1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
  • 0.5 cup red onion, thinly sliced
cheese
  • 8 oz feta cheese, crumbled
dressing
  • 0.25 cup olive oil
  • 3 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 2 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp fresh oregano (or 1 teaspoon dried)
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Cook and rinse the pasta
  1. Cook the penne or rotini pasta according to package directions, until tender. Drain and rinse with cold water so it cools quickly (visual cue: steam stops and pasta feels cool).
  2. Place the pasta on a sheet pan in a single layer to prevent clumping. Let it sit until fully cool, about 5 minutes (visual cue: pasta turns from glossy-warm to matte-cool).
Make the lemon-oregano dressing
  1. Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper in a bowl until smooth and combined. Whisk for 30 seconds so the garlic and herbs disperse (visual cue: dressing looks uniformly cloudy).
Assemble the salad
  1. Add the cooled pasta, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, Kalamata olives, red onion, and about 3/4 of the feta to a large bowl. Toss gently to distribute the mix without breaking the pasta (visual cue: red, green, white, and black colors are evenly spread).
  2. Pour the lemon-oregano dressing over the salad and toss gently until coated. Continue tossing for 30–60 seconds so the pasta looks lightly glossy (visual cue: dressing clings to pasta).
Chill and finish
  1. Refrigerate the salad for at least 2 hours. Cover and chill until cold throughout (visual cue: salad firms up slightly and flavors meld).
  2. Before serving, top with the remaining feta and toss once more very gently. Finish with one final taste for salt and pepper (visual cue: feta is bright and visible on top).

Notes

Pro tip: rinse the pasta with cold water and cool it briefly so the pasta salad doesn’t turn mushy or clump. Refrigerate in a covered container for up to 4 days; the feta will soften but stays flavorful. Freezing is not recommended for best cucumber texture. For a lighter option, use part-skim feta or reduce feta by about half while keeping the same lemon dressing amounts.